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Updated: May 23, 2026
Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Mechanical characterization of human umbilical and chorionic plate arteries affected by fetal growth restriction
Germán A Arenas1, Álvaro Navarrete2, José Miguel Gonzalez3
1Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile.
Insights
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) alters placental blood vessels. The umbilical artery remodels structurally and mechanically, while the chorionic artery shows mainly mechanical changes, impacting fetoplacental circulation.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Cardiovascular Physiology
Background:
- Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a pregnancy complication linked to poor perinatal outcomes and future cardiometabolic disease.
- FGR is associated with impaired fetoplacental vascular function.
- Understanding the biomechanical and morphological changes in placental vessels during FGR is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biomechanical and morphological characteristics of umbilical and chorionic arteries in FGR pregnancies.
- To quantify the impact of FGR on the material properties and structural integrity of the fetoplacental vasculature.
- To elucidate the distinct responses of different placental arteries to FGR.
Main Methods:
- Clinical study involving placental samples from normal and FGR pregnancies (n=5 each).
- Biomechanical testing including ring-opening and ring-tensile tests under physiological conditions.
- Numerical analysis using hyperelastic models and ring-closure simulations for material properties and residual stress.
- Morphological analysis of wall thickness and layer areas.
Main Results:
- The umbilical artery in FGR pregnancies exhibited significant morphological remodeling and altered biomechanical properties.
- The chorionic artery in FGR pregnancies primarily displayed changes in biomechanical properties, with less pronounced morphological alterations.
- Distinct biomechanical and structural adaptations were observed between the umbilical and chorionic arteries in response to FGR.
Conclusions:
- Fetal growth restriction induces differential biomechanical and morphological changes in fetoplacental arteries.
- The umbilical artery undergoes more comprehensive alterations compared to the chorionic artery in FGR.
- This study provides novel biomechanical insights into FGR's impact on placental vasculature, emphasizing the morphology-mechanics interplay.
Abstract:
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a pregnancy complication associated with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality in the short term, along with an elevated risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases in the long term. FGR is also associated with vascular dysfunction in the fetoplacental unit. In this work, we develop a clinical study of the fetoplacental circulation (encompassing umbilical and chorionic arteries) under the FGR condition, utilizing a combination of numerical and experimental approaches to quantify biomechanical and morphological characteristics. Placental samples from normal (n = 5) and FGR pregnancies (n = 5) underwent biomechanical testing (ring-opening and ring-tensile tests) under physiological conditions. Biomechanical behavior, including material properties and residual stress, was characterized via numerical analysis using a hyperelastic model and a simulation of the ring-closure process. Morphological analysis, including wall thickness and layer area measurements, was performed to relate structural features to biomechanical behavior. The umbilical and chorionic arteries exhibit distinct responses to FGR: the umbilical artery undergoes both morphological remodeling and changes in biomechanical properties, whereas the chorionic artery primarily shows biomechanical alterations. Overall, this study provides novel biomechanical evidence of the impact of FGR on placental vasculature, highlighting the complex interplay between morphology and mechanics in fetoplacental blood vessels.
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